WAY down on the US/Mexico border, Big Bend is probably one of the most remote National Parks in the Lower 48; 5h from El Paso, 6h from Lubbock and 6.5h from San Antonio with a whole lot of nothing in between (stock up on food and gas before heading down). Big Bend gets it name from the large bend in the Rio Grande River that forms the Southern border of the park, but the River is only a very small portion of the diverse ecosystems that make up Big Bend National Park. The lush green banks of the Rio Grande, to the vast Chihuahuan desert, to the high summits of the Chisos Mountains.

Timing wasn’t perfect, but with a free weekend in mid-May, I was able to convince Maddie to join me for the long road trip down to Southern Texas. It’s a LONG way from Boulder to Southern Texas, with a whole lot of nothing after leaving Northern New Mexico, other than oil fields and the extraterrestrial vibes of Roswell. Our intended goal was a popular backpacking loop known as the Outer Mountain Loop that spanned the low Chihuahuan Desert to the top of the highest point in the Chisos Mountains, Emory Peak. We were able to secure a campsite along Grapevine Rd, and after setting up camp, headed up into the Chisos Mountains to poke around a bit and drop some water for the following day’s run. After dropping almost 2gallons of water we headed back to camp to eat and get some rest before our early morning start.

Our alarms went off at 430a and we rolled down to the Blue Creek Trailhead, the lower trailhead for the Outer Mountain Loop, with the goal of getting through the low elevation portion of the route before the 90F heat set in. We headed out just after 5am by headlamp into the cool pre-sunrise desert. The trail started out fairly smooth and easy to follow as we climbed and descended through the lower foothills of the Chisos Mountains. As we neared the top of our first major climb the trail dropped into a wash and started to become overgrown and scratchy, Maddie was NOT a fan of the catclaw and agave. As the sun began to warm the morning sky, we were treated to exquisite views of the towering Chisos mountains to our North and the expansive Chihuahuan Desert in every other direction. The trails were dotted with succulents, cacti, blooming prickly pear and claret cup and razor-sharp ocotillo.

We made quick work of our pre-sunrise section, reaching the junction with the Juniper Canyon Trail (mm11.6) in the early morning hours, beating the heat of the day. From here we started our 4000ft climb to the top of the Chisos Mountains, Emory Peak. As the day warmed I felt pretty decent, but Maddie was feeling the heat, and her stomach started to turn (it might have been the maple syrup drink). We trudged our way upwards into the mountains, longing for a little shade and a cool breeze. Around 5000ft we finally turned our way into the woodland forests of the Chisos Mountains and a little shady reprieve from the cloud filtered sun. After what felt like endless switchbacks we finally hit the saddle to Emory Peak, the high point of the day.

The final class 3 scramble to the summit was a pleasant change of pace, leading to expansive views and a great spot for a snack (mm21.1). This was the first time all day we’d encountered large groups of people. The clouds were burning off and the midday heat was starting to set in as we jogged downhill into Chisos Basin. After refilling our bottles and chugging a bunch of water from our water cache in Chisos Basin, we set off back up the trail to the Laguna Meadow saddle (mm25). This was my roughest section, as the hot sun baked our core and shade came at a premium. When we finally reached the Laguna Meadow saddle and jct with South Rim trail I sat down to have a little pity party (mm28.9).

I told Maddie to continue on without me, and that I’d slowly trudge my way in, but she wasn’t having any of it. “We started this together, we’re going to finish this together”. In an attempt to revive myself, I popped two salt tablets, chugged some water, and we started the LONG 2600ft downhill back to the Blue Creek trailhead. We both found a little more bounce heading downhill in the 90F+ heat, both bent on getting back to the car for cold beverages and to escape the heat. The canyon slowly mellowed out and the rocky switchbacks gave way to gravelly wash. We spent the last few miles slowly cruising through the wash, chatting about the highs and lows of the day and commiserating about how ready both of us were to get out of the sun. Finally, the Homer Wilson Ranch came back into site and we knew the car was CLOSE! One last little hill and we plopped ourselves down in the shade of the car, cracked open a cold soda and relished the day’s accomplishments.

In total we’d completed the 34.6mi/8000ft Outer Mountain Loop (+Emory Peak) in just over 12hours car to car in temperatures ranging from 70F to 97F! Our journey covered the high desert, deep canyons, woodland forests and summit of the highest peaks. For most of the year there are no natural water sources along the route, so planning water resupplies is key. The three access points are Chisos Basin (will be closed for construction through 2026), Blue Creek TH near Homer Wilson Ranch, and Juniper Canyon 4×4 Rd TH. On the day we each carried about 1.5-2gal of water, but could have used even more. Outside of Emory Peak and Chisos Basin we mostly had the trail to ourselves, so got to truly experience the solitude the desert can offer. Big Bend National Park is a wonderfully diverse array of ecosystems, tucked a long way from anything along the US/Mexico border. For anyone looking to visit I’d highly recommend late November through March, unless you really like it HOT.

The following day we took a little road trip to the far SE side of the park, first for a soak in the Rio Grande Hot Springs. The old bathhouses were built in the early 1900s right along the border and all that remains are the old pools along the river, frequented by the wild horses that live in the area.  After a nice soak, alternating between the warm spring and the cool Rio Grande river, we headed off for the Boquillas Port of Entry into Mexico. Because, how often do you get to wade through a river into another country? After a short visit with the single US Border Patrol Officer in the small office, we popped off our shoes and waded our way across the Rio Grande (you can also take a boat for $5). Once in Boquillas we checked in with the Mexican authorities, paid the small tourist fee and went for a stroll. The town of Boquillas is more of a small hamlet with a few restaurants, a couple of shops and a LONG drive to anywhere else. We grabbed lunch, took a quick stroll across town, then headed back to the US. Other sites within the park worth visiting are Boquillas Canyon, Santa Elena Canyon, 4wd River Rd, Chisos Mt South Rim trail, Dog Canyon/Devil’s Den.

I grew up backpacking the deep canyons and rivers of Kings Canyon National Park, then later in life honed my mountaineering skills and scrambling head on the high peaks of the Range of Light. The remove alpine meadows, rugged peaks, crystal blue lakes and abundance of lonely places are all reasons that Kings Canyon National Park holds a special place in my heart. From the John Muir Trail to Mt Whitney, there are numerous well known landmarks that draw outdoor enthusiasts to the area, and rightfully so. In all of my exploring, one area that had eluded me was the infamous but remote valley of Ionian Basin. A high alpine granite playground, guarded by the hulking figures of the Black Giant, Charybdis, the Three Sirens, Scylla and Mt Gottard, containing numerous crystal blue alpine lakes and seen only by a handful of eyes each year, it’s a destination only for the most dedicated, hardy and adventurous. A place I’d only seen from the summit of Mt Solomon in 2004 while hiking the John Muir Trail.

With the Covid pandemic raging throughout the US, Flannery, Adler, Erika and I decided to plan a trip to the California mountains to explore a little not too far from home nature. The wheels went in motion to do some trail running, hot spring exploring, Whoa Nellie chowing, capped by two epic runs in Kings Canyon NP and the Yosemite NP High Country, ticking off two of my National Park Ultra Marathon project runs. I was excited to share a little of my former backyard and old stomping grounds with several of my best friends and craving a little new adventure. After quickly getting settled in to our Eastern Sierras campground outside of Bishop the night before our Kings Canyon adventure, we began to pour over maps for the proposed route.
Flan and Adler: “So how much of this route is off trail?”
Me: “Maybe 50%? It’s all fine.”
Flan: “Wait, what?”
Woops, I guess I had underplayed the amount of off trail navigation, talus and challenging terrain the run would entail, a lesson we’d all be learning the next day.

We started out at sunrise from our car at the North Lake Trailhead, jogging the road across to Lake Sabrina, then on up the trail towards Echo Lake. The early morning light was hazy with all the smoke hanging in the air, but the scenery was stunning, and our spirits were running incredibly high. Our trail started to thin out as we neared Echo Lake, one of the most stunning turquoise blue granite lined lakes I’ve ever seen. From Echo Lake the fun began, with a loose talus scramble up to the elusive Echo Col, we missed the correct notch on our first try, getting cliffed out, but found easier passage through the cliff bands and down towards the JMT. Our route from Echo Col down to the JMT was some of the loosest and most heinous talus I’ve encountered, and the group was not too pleased (understandably so). Finally we stepped off the alpine tundra and back on to the well constructed trail of the JMT, now deep within the heart of Kings Canyon…. But our adventure was only beginning.

With a realization that the day was already quickly passing by, the travel had been tough and slow, the other three opted to follow the JMT directly over to Evolution Basin and Darwin Canyon, while I made a mad dash from the JMT southward up and over the divide and into Ionian Basin. We bid our farewells for the moment, and I powered up the hill as the others took a dip in the icy water of Helen Lake. As I crested the western saddle of the Black Giant and descended the talus into Ionian Basin I was greeted by a dozen beautiful shimmering alpine lakes and the imposing North face of Charybdis. I rocked hopped across the talus West through the basin towards the low point on the Goddard Divide that would drop me back to Wanda Lake. As I climbed away from Lake 11592 towards the saddle, taking in the expansively stunning views, dark clouds began to roll over head…. then a clap of thunder…. all of it way to close for comfort.

I put my head down and began to power up towards the saddle, cresting just in time to see the sky explode behind me as bolts of lightning hit the peaks directly across Ionian Basin, oh shit, must go faster, must go faster. The rain began to fall, thunder rolled overhead, and I was still miles from any significant amount of tree cover and safety. My heart raced and all the hairs on my arm stood on end as I raced down the now rain-soaked talus towards Wanda Lake. When I reached the lake shore at 11400ft, a bolt of lightning struck the ridge behind me and pea sized hail began to fall. I ducked under the nearest large boulder, which only provided marginal protection from the elements in the mostly barren landscape surrounding Muir Pass. Outside of my attempt on the Colorado 14ers in 2015, it was the most terrified I’ve been in the outdoors in my entire life. I donned all my clothing, rain jacket, rain pants and beanie, then crouched down under the small overhang, praying that it would provide me enough protection from the massive storm raging directly overhead.

I sat wondering if this was going to be the day where my hubris got the better of me, how long was I going to be stuck under this rock, praying that my friends (who were ahead of me down valley) were faring better than I was, and that I’d get to see them again later that day. Finally, after what seemed like hours (probably was 40-50min) the storm passed on down Evolution Basin, and dissipated North as it cleared Mt Darwin. In it’s wake it had left everything coated in two inches of hail, my teeth chattering but an immense amount of gratitude that I had survived the ordeal. I jogged down the hail and rain soaked trail into Evolution Basin, one of the crown jewels of the John Muir Trail. At last I reached the climbers trail turn off into Darwin Basin that would take me to Lamarck Col, and eventually back to the car.

The challenging terrain, emotional distress of the storm and the long day were already wearing on me, but I soldiered onward with a single purpose, to get it done. As I rounded the first lake in Darwin Canyon I saw three figures on the far side of the lake: it was Adler, Flannery and Erika and we all let out cries of joy at seeing each other and being reunited after so many hours and the harrowing ordeal we’d all endured. They too had gotten ravaged by the storm and had been forced to hide under a few boulders for an hour as it passed directly overhead. We slogged our way up canyon, finally hitting the final 1300ft climb to Lamarck Col. By this point we were all pretty toasted, and it took all of our strength to navigate our way through the boulders upward to the pass. We crested the pass just as the sun’s final rays were illuminating the Western sky, and took that moment to express a little gratitude for the beauty of where we were and what we had experienced, despite the hardships of the day.

We descended down the endless gravel and sand towards North Lake, finally collapsing at our car, 16hours after we had started. We were all exhausted, starving but ecstatic to be done running for the day. The day had been anything by smooth, but we had all come out of it, learning more about ourselves, our friends and with a profound respect for the unforgiving power of Mother Nature. Because along with her beauty, comes a sometimes uncontrollable fury that reminds us all, we are not in control and we are but guests in her amazing landscape. Kings Canyon still holds an incredibly special place in my heart, a place filled with so many wonderful memories, stunning vistas and unforgettable experiences at all levels. Being able to share it with my friends meant a lot, though I think we all could have done with a little less death talus and without the violent thunderstorm that soaked and shook us all. Kings Canyon National Park Ultra Run, 33mi, 8600ft vertical gain, 15h17min. From Lake Sabrina, over Echo Col, over Muir Pass, into Ionian Basin, through Evolution Basin, into Darwin Basin over Lamarck Col and back down.
Strava Segment #1
Strava Segment #2